Sunrise Council Approves Concept For $200 Million Complex

SUNRISE — City Council members Monday approved in concept a proposed $200 million convention center-hotel-sports arena complex in the city.

They said the proposal, which they saw for the first time, is great on paper, but some members doubted if the project ever could be built.

``If this thing happens, Sunrise would become the focus of Broward County,`` Council President Bill Colon said. ``But I still don`t know how it`s going to be paid for, who is putting it together, or what our city will be liable for.``

The complex, proposed by the owners of the Sunrise Musical Theatre, would be located in the southeast corner of Nob Hill Road and Commercial Boulevard. It would feature a 20,000-seat sports arena.

About 20 acres of additional construction would surround the musical theater site, said Raul Perez, architect for the project.

Perez said the sports arena would be completed by September 1987 under the plans.

Leonard Bloom, president of the company that owns the musical theater, did not appear at the special council meeting. In an interview last Friday, Bloom said he had backing to finance the complex and he would be bringing professional basketball and hockey teams to the sports arena.

Bloom said he did not want to name the teams or his financial backers. Bloom`s proposal includes a 250,000 square-foot convention center that is 100,000 square feet larger than proposals being considered by Broward County officials, twin-tower hotels and a shopping center.

``I think we have to do everything we can do to help this project along,`` council member Michael Stern said. ``Mr. Bloom is going to have to answer a lot of questions before this council commits itself to anything, but it`s still early and he has plenty of time.``

Bloom has proposed having the city condemn about 200 vacant acres surrounding the Sunrise Musical Theatre so that the land can be used for parking. Sunrise Mayor Larry Hoffman said much of that land is zoned for residential construction, with some commercial zoning.

Council members, not including Dan Pearl, who was absent, said they would not agree to any action that could make the city liable for a large sum of money.